Volume 37 Issue 9 September, 2020 Winds Aloft
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1 September, 2020 Winds Aloft EAA Chapter 790 Lake in the Hills, IL 790.eaachapter.org Volume 37 Issue 9 September, 2020 Chapter Meeng Presentaon Building an Air Condioner for your plane. By Paul Ranieri At our chapter meeng on Tuesday, August 25, Paul Ranieri gave a presentaon on the Air Condi- oning system he designed and built for his Plane. Paul flies a Glasair Glastar he completed building in 2012 and his plane has a Lycoming O-320 mill from a Piper Cherokee with the same fixed pitch prop. He began developing his system about two years ago when several long flights on 90 degree plus days prompted the queson ‘how could I make this more comfortable without resorng to flying at higher altudes?’ The answer required research be conducted on what types of compressors, evapora- tors and condensers were available that could be modified for aircraſt use i.e. light and small. Also, it was important to find out from the manufacturer, what the Lycoming could spare; in terms of powe- from the accessory pad, and how much the system would weigh per ton of cooling. Aſter building a test system and mocking-up several designs it became apparent that a feasible system could be installed in the airplane that weighed only 10 pounds per ton of cooling. To put that in real terms, one would need to carry 170 pounds of ice per hour of flight to equal the two tons of cooling available in Paul’s system. Aſter months of tesng and taking data (remember in Chicago we only have three useful months for tesng where temps exceed 90 degrees), it was me to install the sys- tem in the Glastar. (Connued on page 3) In this Issue • August Chapter Meeng-Air Condioning your plane • Fore Flight Tip • Fly Outs • Calendar of Events • Wanted
Transcript of Volume 37 Issue 9 September, 2020 Winds Aloft
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September, 2020
Winds Aloft
EAA Chapter 790 Lake in the Hills, IL 790.eaachapter.org
Volume 37 Issue 9 September, 2020
Chapter Meeting Presentation
Building an Air Conditioner for your plane.
By Paul Ranieri
At our chapter meeting on Tuesday, August 25,
Paul Ranieri gave a presentation on the Air Condi-
tioning system he designed and built for his Plane.
Paul flies a Glasair Glastar he completed building in
2012 and his plane has a Lycoming O-320 mill from
a Piper Cherokee with the same fixed pitch prop.
He began developing his system about two years
ago when several long flights on 90 degree plus
days prompted the question ‘how could I make this
more comfortable without resorting to flying at
higher altitudes?’ The answer required research be
conducted on what types of compressors, evapora-
tors and condensers were available that could be
modified for aircraft use i.e. light and small. Also, it
was important to find out from the manufacturer,
what the Lycoming could spare; in terms of powe-
from the accessory pad, and how much the system
would weigh per ton of cooling.
After building a test system and mocking-up several
designs it became apparent that a feasible system
could be installed in the airplane that weighed only
10 pounds per ton of cooling. To put that in real
terms, one would need to carry 170 pounds of ice
per hour of flight to equal the two tons of cooling
available in Paul’s system. After months of testing
and taking data (remember in Chicago we only
have three useful months for testing where temps
exceed 90 degrees), it was time to install the sys-
tem in the Glastar.
(Continued on page 3)
In this Issue
• August Chapter Meeting-Air Conditioning
your plane
• Fore Flight Tip
• Fly Outs
• Calendar of Events
• Wanted
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September, 2020
Foreflight Tip There’s a neat feature on the moving map of Foreflight. We all most likely have had ATC ask us “What’s your on course heading to your destination?” while on an IFR flight plan or perhaps while you are under flight following. Or perhaps, you are requesting flight following and want to give the dis-tance from the airport you had left. While there are many ways of doing this with or without Fore-flight, I find that this tip comes in handy during these situations.
While you are in the map tab of Foreflight, simultaneously put two fingers down on the map and then drag those fingers from point a to point b a (i.e. where you are and your destination). Simultaneously lift both fingers away from the screen and you will see an overlay left on the map. This overlay shows you your on course heading, nautical miles of this segment, time and fuel burn. It’s a quick and handy way of getting this information. It also could be used for “what if” type scenarios such as if you want to do a boondoggle from your plan but not sure what impact on time, fuel burn, etc. You can use this feature without mucking up the flight plan you have entered already. Happy Flying!
Article provided by Matt Van Bergen
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September, 2020
Building an Air Conditioner for your Plane
(Continued from page 1)
Once fabricated and modified, the installation of
the custom compressor and the fan/evaporator
(the inside cold part) were straight-forward and
mostly bolt-on. Custom line sets (hoses) and vent
ducting had to be fabricated and installed. Paul
designed a proprietary control system for the com-
pressor that keeps the load on the engine as con-
sistent as possible in-flight so there are no unwant-
ed pitch trim changes. The pilot can vary the fan
speed and cooling capacity/temperature in-flight
and once set, there is no significant variation in en-
gine load.
The last item to be installed was the condenser.
The condenser is the exterior radiator-like coil that
dissipates the heat transferred from the cabin and
compressor to the atmosphere. Having learned
from the test fixture how much airflow over the
condenser was required, Paul decided to design
and build a combination of up and down draft
ducting that would take ram-air in from the lower
cowling and some air from the scoop on the top
cowling. In-flight at cruise speed there is always
plenty of airflow, it is on the ground when prob-
lems can arise, and this design succeeded in pre-
venting those problems.
Preliminary flight and ground tests have been very
promising. With 93 degree OAT the vent air dis-
charge temp is under 50 degrees with the fan on
high and under 40 degrees with the fan low, this is
comparable or better than an economy car’s A/C.
On the ground, the cooling capacity is about half
which means vent temps in the 60’s when it is 90+
outside which is still very comfortable. OAT’s un-
der 90 degrees and it’s downright cold in the cabin
and the system needs to be turned-down or it
quickly becomes uncomfortably chilly.
The system uses anywhere from .25 to about 3hp
depending on engine speed and pilot settings.
Normal cruise settings would be under 2hp. Fully
installed, the system weighs about 20 pounds and
has about a 2 knot penalty in cruise which could be
reduced with more refinements to the condenser
air intake system. Paul is extremely pleased with
the performance and outcome of the system and is
in the process of building another with an environ-
mental chamber for the test fixture so testing can
be conducted during the cold months. The pur-
pose of the second system is for life-cycle testing
and failure analysis. The system in the plane has
over 100 hours run-time on the test fixture and
about 15 hours in-flight. If the system proves to be
as reliable as it is functional, Paul intends to test
the market for kits aimed at RVs and other EAB Ly-
coming/Continental powered aircraft.
For more information contact Paul Ranieri at
Editors note: It was very comfortable on a hot day
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September, 2020
FLY OUTS
June - Clow Airport
July - Chuck Binzels
August - Waterman Airport
Photo’s provided by Fran Logalbo
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September, 2020
Calendar of Events
• No Young Eagles events through September
• Annual Pancake Breakfast Cancelled due to COVID concerns
• Sept– 22nd Chapter Meeting IMC, 6 pm social hour and food, LITH Airport
• October 27th Chapter Meeting -Nazis in Denmark
• November 24th, Chapter Meeting, Board Elections for 2021 and New Microsoft Sim
information
• December 22nd Christmas Party at Paul's house Pick up your new Directory
• Check the Chapter Website “http://www.790.eaachapter.org/”
for any additional details and a list of local chapter events in the area
“I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things”. Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Chapter Photographer
Assistant and/or Newsletter Editor
Chapter 2021 Board Volunteers
Members Flying Destinations
Newsletter Articles
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September, 2020
WINDS ALOFT, the six time EAA international Newsletter award winner, is published Periodically by EAA Chapter 790 for the use
and enjoyment of its membership and others to whom it is provided. No claim is made to the accuracy or validity of the content
presented in this publication. Editorial content is the opinion of the contributor and does not necessarily reflect the position of
Chapter 790 or of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA). Permission is granted to others to use any non-copyrighted mate-
rial appearing in this publication so long as credit is acknowledged.
EAA Chapter 790 Staff
OFFICERS
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Paul Ranieri
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Lon Danek
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Ole Sindberg
847/826-1935
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